Welcome to the shit show :) @jayetheanimefreek101 - Tumblr Blog

COLD, COLD, COLD

Pairing: Snow Leopard!Law x Reader

Word count: 8.3k

Warnings: Description of wounds, mild wound infection

(a/n: wrote this for my AO3 a little bit ago and decided to post it here too, for people who don’t use archive! this is just a mostly fluffy oneshot, but i might write more for snow leopard shapeshifter/hybrid law in the future if people other than me enjoy it lol)

You’d always rolled your eyes when your parents called you a ‘bleeding heart’, scoffing when your friends told you that you were too empathetic for your own good. You could concede that you had a bad habit of giving too much of yourself to others, despite knowing that your care likely won’t be reciprocated, and you’re working on it. Maybe you’ve gotten hurt more times than you could count by devoting yourself to people who have no appreciation for your efforts, but that doesn’t mean that your empathy will be the death of you! You’ve stubbornly clung to that assertion your entire life, refusing to let anyone rip it away from you, but today might just be the first time your certainty on that matter actually wavered.

You’d certainly taken risks before, they always say that no good deed goes unpunished, but it was usually a calculated decision in which the pros outweighed the cons. This time, though, even you had to admit you were veering drastically in the direction of outright stupidity. You had enough sense to recognize that approaching a heavily injured snow leopard was an incredibly idiotic thing to do, but somehow still not enough sense to talk yourself out of doing it. You had deliberated on it for a little while, initially you’d even been prepared to leave it up to nature and avoid interfering.

Your respect for wild animals extended to a respect for the cycle of life and death, which you believed humans generally shouldn’t meddle with, so you usually tried to encroach on that sort of thing as little as possible. When your eyes had first been drawn to the disheveled heap of spotted fur and splattered blood in the snow, your heart dropped in dismay, but you told yourself that it wasn’t your place to take away a potential meal from whatever creature had managed to hunt this formidable feline. Then, the distinct glint of metal caught your attention, and your perspective immediately shifted when you recognized a bullet lodged in the snow leopard’s shoulder. This bloodshed had been the work of a human, and that changed everything.

Perhaps it was the anger at whoever had done this that fueled your poor judgement, or perhaps it was the distress over the sight of another in pain that had you acting so unwise. Either way, you found yourself rushing into your house and frantically digging through your closet for a spare quilt, one that you wouldn’t mind having to get rid of if it got covered in blood after this. After trying and failing for a moment to calm your racing heart, you hurried back outside and brought your quilt to the unconscious big cat. There’s no way you’d be able to simply lift him by yourself, and you certainly couldn’t ask anyone else for help, so you had to improvise a little.

Cautiously, you crept closer until you were kneeling at the snow leopard’s side, and you slowly extended a trembling hand towards his disheveled fur. Whatever kind of fight had left him in this condition, it seemed to have thoroughly exhausted all his energy, so he thankfully didn’t react when you touched him. Slowly and cautiously, you pushed your weight against the injured animal and managed to roll him onto the quilt with a lot of effort. You let out a heavy sigh of relief when he didn’t wake up, and before you could talk yourself out it, you gripped two corners of the quilt and began to haul your ‘patient’ inside.

Bringing the snow leopard into your house was possibly the most reckless thing you’d ever done, but once you committed to helping him, you really didn’t have many options. His thick pelt would definitely protect him from the cold outside, but you would be freezing your ass off if you tried to do everything out there. Plus, you were kind of getting worried that whoever shot him might show up, and you definitely didn’t want to meet whoever was crazy enough to try hunting this thing.

-

After running around frantically for about half an hour setting things up, your basement had been turned into your best attempt at a makeshift vet clinic. You were wholly unqualified for this job, but so was everyone else in your area, so you were going to do your damned best to play doctor. You started with the simple parts, disinfecting cuts and tenderly wrapping up the bigger scratches with gauze and bandages. You handled the big cat’s wounds with as much care as you could manage, feeling more tension release from your shoulders after treating each one. Although you had to keep your focus, you couldn’t help but take a moment to stare at the intricate pattern of his spots, appreciating the softness of his fur underneath your fingers as you worked. He really was a beautiful creature, even when he was in this sorry state, and you couldn’t imagine why anyone would’ve done this to him.

Unfortunately, you couldn’t put off the worst part forever, and you had to steel yourself to finally address the bullet wound on the snow leopard’s shoulder. Taking a deep breath, you brought your hands up to inspect how difficult it would be to remove, but all hell broke loose the moment you touched it.

The snow leopard’s eyes snapped open, deep yellow with a menacing slit for a pupil, immediately locking on to you. The next few moments were a blur, hazy with adrenaline and too fast to process. With a frightening speed, the injured feline rose to his paws, jarring some of the wounds you’d just dressed with such care moments before. Disoriented and defensive, he turned on you, and all you could do was sprint to the basement door.

As your hands frantically grasped at the knob, your attacker lunged and took a swipe at your back, and you shrieked as his claws dug trenches in your flesh. Searing pain shot through you, but you pushed on, having no intention of dying to an animal you’d foolishly tried to help. You twisted the knob and shoved yourself through the threshold, slamming the door behind you and locking it for good measure.

You could hear him throwing his weight into the door on the other side, followed by the shrill sound of him clawing at it. For a terrible moment, you thought he might bust it down, but the door didn’t budge.

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding, collapsing onto the basement stairs as blood slowly trickled down your back, dripping onto the floor with a soft sound. It took you a second to process the fact that the atmosphere was now quiet enough for you to hear something so small, and you glanced at the door with unease. The banging had stopped, and the only noise that emanated from the room was slow shuffling. His wounds must’ve finally caught up to him, you could only hope he hadn’t made any of them worse.

For as much as you wanted to cry tears of frustration, the wild animal’s reaction had admittedly been understandable. He was hurt, and you were a stranger, it was only natural that he’d react defensively. You sighed deeply, cursing yourself for getting stuck in such a preventable mess. “I was just trying to help…I took care of all your other injuries, I couldn’t just leave you to die.” You muttered feebly, knowing full well that no response awaited you in this one-sided conversation.

Except, you did get a response. It was little more than a grunt, and it had to be a coincidence, but the timing was eerily perfect. “Damn, it almost seemed like you could understand me for a second there.” Another grunt, right on time. Perhaps the pain was just making you loopy, but you felt like you had to try something else, just to prove to yourself that it was nothing after all.

“If you can understand me, hit your paw on the door twice. I have to know whether or not I’m losing it.” You were met with what almost sounded like a scoff, but it was followed by pawsteps getting closer. There was one thump, then another, and then there was silence again.

“Holy shit,” was all you managed to get out, because maybe you weren’t crazy after all. Looking down at the small puddle of blood that was gradually starting to form beneath you, you remembered with a start that you had to do something about your back, and you rushed upstairs to patch yourself up to the best of your ability. As you eyed the angry claw marks in a mirror, you could hardly believe everything that had just happened only moments ago.

-

The next few days were interesting, to say the least. However, they weren’t nearly as disastrous as you’d dreaded after your first encounter with the snow leopard. As crazy as it sounded, you could no longer deny that he was genuinely capable of understanding you, even if he couldn’t exactly respond. There was no other explanation for the cautious sort of truce that had been drawn between the two of you, it had to be that he recognized that you’d tended to his wounds, and he no longer viewed you as an immediate threat.

He still certainly didn’t trust you, just as you didn’t exactly trust him, but you regarded each other as neutral. He still wouldn’t let you anywhere near the bullet lodged in his shoulder, but he didn’t react to you with aggression anymore. The wound on your back was starting to form a thick scab, it thankfully hadn’t been deep enough to need stitches, but it was a painful reminder that he was still a dangerous creature.

You developed a routine, wherein you’d bring him meals twice a day and then leave him the hell alone, for the most part. He had the courtesy to stay back each time you nervously cracked open the door and set down a tray of meat, the memory of his claws still fresh on your mind. He let you collect the trays at the end of the day without a fuss, either, but his piercing eyes followed you in a way that sent a shiver down your spine.

Sometimes, you’d sit outside the door and talk to him, receiving occasional grumbles of acknowledgment in response. You’d talk about how your day went, how his healing progress was coming along, and you even told him a bit about yourself. If his mind worked like a person’s, then you figured maybe you could gain his trust by letting him get to know you.

By the fifth day, you noticed that he’d started to sit by the door when you rambled to him, which was as close as he’d ever get to active participation in the conversation. He did make plenty of noises, though, and it was enough for you to feel like you actually had someone to talk to for once. Living in the middle of nowhere was terribly lonely at times, so you couldn’t afford to be picky about who you chose to converse with. If a snow leopard was willing to listen to you, then you were willing to tell an animal random stories about your life. You weren’t shy about what you told him, it’s not like he could ever repeat anything personal he heard about you, and it made you feel lighter to share things about yourself with someone.

After the first week, you stopped locking the door, and you started entering the room with much more confidence. He never made any moves to approach you, but he didn’t move away when you set the meal tray in front of him each time. You remained aware of the fact that he was a dangerous animal, but you started to let your guard down bit by bit.

You even started to linger sometimes when you brought him meals, and you moved up to talking to him while you were in the same room. His eyes no longer frightened you, as he clearly didn’t stare at you with intent to harm anymore, he just had an intimidating look about him. You liked being in the room with him now, because it meant you could watch his body language. The way his ears perked up when you addressed him, the way his tail swished slowly when you told him something entertaining, and the way his snout wrinkled any time you made a stupid joke. He was fascinating, and his mind seemed so deeply human that it made you start to wonder about him.

-

Sometime after the first week, something unexplainable happened. Even more unexplainable than his human level comprehension, that is. When you brought him his first meal of the day, something was different about him. It took you a moment to notice what had changed, but eventually you realized that the bullet was gone, and there was gauze layered over the wound. You found the discarded bullet lying on the countertop, alongside an array of the medical supplies you’d left down there.

You certainly hadn’t been the one to remove it, he never let you touch that particular wound, but it had been tended to all the same. Tended to in a delicate manner that would be impossible to pull off with large, plush paws. It was like a human had magically appeared some time in the night, treated the bullet wound, and then disappeared before you could see them. That wasn’t possible, though, all the doors to the house were locked, and you were positive that the two of you were alone here.

You weren’t sure what made you turn to look at the snow leopard, but you found yourself blurting out the question before you could even attempt to rationalize it. “Did you take that bullet out of your shoulder?” You breathed, looking at him with utter confusion. You expected him to make that weird scoffing noise again, or to roll his eyes at you, but he did something entirely different. He nodded.

Your expression was nothing short of baffled, but you found that it was all too easy to brush off the fact that the impossible had happened. It was already crazy enough that he could understand human speech, was it really that much harder to believe that he could somehow treat his own wounds?

“Right…Umm, keep up the good work, I guess?” You finally replied, your tone rather incredulous. He had the gall to snort, his whiskers twitching in clear amusement at your confusion. You didn’t ask any further questions, you doubted you’d manage to figure anything out without him being able to talk.

-

Sometime after the second week, infection struck. Things had been going so well between the two of you, you were almost starting to consider the feline to be your friend, but now they were going downhill fast. Overnight, he’d developed a fever, and his instincts seemed to have dulled when you went to check on him, because his reaction to you was a bit delayed. He was flopped over on his side, and he made no effort to get up when you entered, only following your movements with his eyes.

You rushed to his side, touching the back of your hand to your spotted acquaintance’s nose and frowning at how abnormally warm it was. He blinked at you, his usually sharp eyes now hazy and unfocused. You cursed under your breath, realizing there was no faucet in the basement for you to cool him down with water. You looked back down at him, contemplating what to do with the miserable feline.

Before, you never would’ve considered moving a wild animal out of the basement, but now you weren’t even entirely sure if he qualified as wild to begin with. He was an animal, sure, but you now knew he was just as capable of reason as any human. He was slow to trust, but he wasn’t aggressive, he was just distant. He wasn’t a threat as long as you didn’t make him feel like he needed to be, you reasoned with yourself.

Making up your mind, you moved to kneel in front of the snow leopard. “Ok, here’s what’s going to happen…I’m going to bring you to my room where I’ll be able to help you, and you are going to be civil- because I know you’re capable of it.” He seemed to pause, your words taking a moment to register, before nodding with an exhausted huff.

“Can you walk if I help you? You’re way too heavy for me to carry, sorry.” You looked at him hopefully, to which he made a displeased grumble but managed to stumble onto his paws. He swayed, and for a moment you thought he might collapse, so you moved to stand at his side and allowed him to lean some of his weight against you.

It was an awkward, impractical maneuver, but you managed to get him up the stairs and down the hall to your bedroom, where he promptly flopped down onto your bed. You’d think he was a house cat with the way he made himself comfortable on a human’s bed, but you chalked it up to the fever. Still, it struck you as odd how familiar he seemed to be with living in a house and accessing the amenities of civilization.

Shaking off your wonderings, you made your way into the bathroom and located some towels, running them under cold water and wringing out the excess. You returned to the bedroom and placed one towel around his paws, setting the other over his ears. Then, you rummaged through your closet until you found an old fan that you hardly ever used. You plugged it in and placed it on the floor in front of the bed, hoping that the combination would lower his temperature back to a healthy range.

You still had to address the root of the problem, though, a large scratch on his side that seemed to have festered with infection. Grabbing the first aid kit under the bathroom sink, you sat down on the bed beside him, peeling back the gauze over the poorly healing wound. Cautiously, you moved to disinfect it, warily eyeing the feline’s reaction, as it would undoubtedly be painful. His teeth bared in a grimace, revealing large, pristine fangs, but he didn’t lash out at you. Sighing in relief, you returned to your work and diligently tended to the agitated gash.

Once you were satisfied with your work, you laid a fresh square of gauze over it and leaned back, examining his condition. He seemed slightly less miserable, but the fever evidently still took its toll on his body and mind.

You stayed by his side for the rest of the day, bringing him food, water and replacing the wet towels when they were no longer cool. It made you feel closer to him, seeing him in such a vulnerable state, and you hoped this would help to gain more of his trust.

When night fell, you relegated him to the foot of the bed, and you crawled in to sleep in your usual spot. You’d never been this close to him for more than a few moments, but he didn’t recoil from you, perhaps due to his less than stellar state. At some point in the night, he shifted to lay over the top of your legs, the tip of his tail occasionally brushing over your hip. You didn’t stop him, you found that you didn’t mind the company. It made things less lonely, living by yourself in such a secluded place, and you weren’t about to complain about having a companion around for once.

Come morning, you groggily patted the snow leopard’s shoulder, shaking him awake so that he could move off of you and let you get up. You didn’t comment on his position, only smoothing out some of the fur along his spine with your fingers as you got out of bed. He didn’t make any move to pull away from your touch, and you considered that a grand accomplishment, given how much he usually kept his distance. Perhaps he was starting to like you, or perhaps he was just grateful for the help when he couldn’t take care of himself.

-

The fever passed within a few days of you tending to him, and the infected cut gradually calmed down and resumed healing as it was supposed to. However, even after he was more or less back to normal, he never made a move to return to the basement. Sleeping on your bed each night became a routine for him, and he had taken to following you around the house during the day. His injuries were progressing well, and he had regained the majority of his mobility.

He still wasn’t exactly the friendliest creature, but he wasn’t so distant anymore. By the time another week went by, he was sitting next to you on the couch while you watched TV and keeping you company in the kitchen while you made his meals. You still told him stories, and he listened intently to each and every one, you certainly considered him your friend by now.

Another half a week went by, and he had moved on to laying his head in your lap while you read a book, even allowing you to pet him from time to time. At night, he had started laying next to you on the other side of the bed, rather than at the bottom. He’d taken to coiling his tail around your forearm or thigh, a subtle form of closeness that spoke volumes of the growing trust between you. He even started pawing at you gently when he wanted to get your attention, rather than just grunting and expecting you to look his way.

You were really starting to get accustomed to having him around, and you were considering the possibility of inviting him to live with you permanently. You could use a roommate, and he was the closest thing you had to one at the moment, so you were beginning to grow attached to the idea of him sticking around. You were debating how to ask him, since he couldn’t exactly give you a verbal response, but being direct always seemed to be the best option.

You worked up the courage to broach the subject one night as the two of you were settling down for bed. He had nestled in a bit closer to you than usual, his tail brushing up against your side, and it just felt like the right moment to ask. “I’ve been thinking…” You started, and he raised his head to stare at you with those sharp yellow eyes. “You’re pretty much healed now, so you could leave at any time if you wanted, but you seem quite comfortable here. So I was wondering if maybe you’d like to stay here and live with me?” The snow leopard blinked at you for a moment, clearly not having expected the question, but then he made a sound you’d never heard from him before.

He started to purr, a low and content rumble that let you know he wasn’t exactly opposed to the idea. He shifted slightly closer to you, and you tentatively reached out to pet him between the ears. He allowed it, gently butting his head against you like a domestic cat, and coiling his tail around your wrist. It had taken weeks of constantly spending time around him and taking care of him, but you felt like he was truly your companion now.

You turned towards him, laying your arm across his back and snuggling closer to his warm, spotted fur. In a surprisingly tender display, the snow leopard gently licked your forehead with his rough tongue, resting his head against yours. Your lips curled into a warm smile, and you fell asleep that night feeling less alone than you had in years.

-

When you woke up the next morning, the other side of the bed was cold and empty, and you felt your heart clench. You finally found someone to keep you company, and now it looked like he just up and disappeared right after seemingly agreeing to stay. You took a deep breath before you could start to despair, and as your eyes adjusted to the light pouring into the room, you realized there was something left beside you.

Furrowing your brow and taking it into your hands, you realized that it was a letter. You buried your face back into your pillow, groaning as you were left to contend with yet another impossible act from the mysterious creature. You’d long since stopped finding his human intelligence strange, and you’d chosen to selectively ignore the bullet incident, but this was absurd. The handwriting was neat, there was literally no possible way this could’ve been written with paws. Even if he held the pencil in his mouth, it still wasn’t feasible, yet it was right here in front of you. You’d always had your suspicions, but there was definitely something weird about that snow leopard, there’s simply no way that he’s a normal animal.

You sighed, lifting your head up again as your curiosity got the better of you, and you sat up to read the letter left for you. Impossible as its existence may seem, it was undeniably real, and you began to scan the carefully scrawled words.

‘Hey,

Sorry I had to leave, I needed to check in with some friends before they go and assume I’m dead. I’ll come see you later today, so wait for me. When I get back, there’s something I need to show you. I don’t mind the idea of sticking around, but there’s something you really need to know first, and it should explain a lot of things. Just promise not to freak out, ok?

-Law (the snow leopard)’

There was so much to unpack in such a short letter, so many things that left you with more questions than answers. At least you knew his name now, right? That was basically all you knew, though, everything else was nothing short of entirely cryptic. What the hell did he mean by ‘promise not to freak out’? You’d already handled having a damn snow leopard in your house, what could possibly be more alarming than that?

You tried to get out of bed and go about your day like normal, but you couldn’t get him out of your head. You couldn’t stop thinking about Law, as you now knew his name to be, and what secrets he was hiding. You knew there was something abnormal about him, but you just couldn’t put your finger on what exactly his deal was, and the curiosity was killing you. You wanted answers so bad that it physically hurt, and yet you had no way of knowing when those answers would come.

Waiting around for Law to show up and explain himself was agonizing, and you eventually just settled for reading a book on the porch and keeping an eye out for him. It was cold as hell outside, but you wanted to be there the very moment he showed himself, so that you could finally put all these questions to rest. You were hardly even processing the words you read on each page, your mind kept wandering to the strange feline that you had come to care so much about. You just continued to scan each paragraph mindlessly while you zoned out, lost in your sea of thoughts.

-

You had no recollection of falling asleep out there, but you must have at some point, because you were awoken by the feeling of a rough tongue lapping at your cheek. You blinked your eyes open, being met with the familiar spotted pelt that you’d been dying to see all day. Temporarily forgetting all about your frustrations with his confusing letter, you threw your arms around him and hugged him close.

“Law, you’re back!” He must have liked hearing you use his name, because he purred softly in response, a sound that you were quickly becoming very fond of. With his warm body pressed against yours, you finally realized just how cold you were, and you internally cursed yourself for dozing off in this weather. Shivering, you led your companion inside with you and settled on the couch with him.

You continued to shake until the snow leopard curled up around you, surrounding you with his warmth. He gave you a look like he was silently scolding you, and you patted his head in agreement, knowing full well that you’d been foolish. “I know, I know, that was stupid…I was just eager for you to get back. Do you have any idea how confusing that letter of yours was?”

His tail brushed against your cheek, as though acknowledging your complaint, so you continued. “Will you please give me an explanation now? I know you’re not a normal snow leopard, I’m prepared for that revelation, but I’d really like to know exactly what you are.”

Law appeared to contemplate for a moment, seemingly hesitant to move, but you’d started to warm up in the heat of the house by now. After regarding you for a moment, he shifted around until he was sitting in front of you, where he promptly covered your eyes with his large paw. Getting the message, you placed your own hands over your eyes when he pulled away, anxiously awaiting what you would see when you put your hands down.

It was quiet for a moment, aside from some subtle shuffling noises, and then there were footsteps. Not pawsteps, but distinctly human footfalls padding towards you. You were utterly perplexed, to say the least. Finally, you felt hands close around your wrists, the feeling of flesh alarming you as the touch pulled your hands away from your eyes. You promised not to freak out, though, so you tried to act like you weren’t internally losing your mind as you opened your eyes.

In front of you was no longer a snow leopard, but a human man. He was quite tall, with dark hair and surprisingly tan skin considering the season. From underneath the hoodie he was wearing, you could make out several tattoos where his sleeves were rolled up to the elbow, sleek and inky black. His pants were spotted, reminding you of the spotted fur you’d grown accustomed to over the last few weeks. Even more familiar were those striking yellow eyes, still just as intense as ever. If that wasn’t enough to make you recognize him in this new form, he also kept his feline ears and tail, proving that he was, in fact, your snow leopard friend.

You sucked in a breath, a million thoughts running through your head as you tried to process this turn of events. You were expecting something weird, but a shapeshifting human/snow leopard was definitely not your first guess. It kind of made sense though, when you got to thinking about it. “That…explains a lot.” You finally said, thinking back on everything he’d done that should’ve been impossible. Having a human form would definitely explain all of the strange things you’d brushed off before.

Law’s shoulders sagged in relief, evidently having expected a more intense reaction from you. It was quite surprising, but you’d had plenty of time to prepare yourself for this reveal, even if you hadn’t anticipated this particular outcome. Or maybe it was just taking some time for the absurdity of it all to sink in, you weren’t quite sure yet.

-

The moment when you really started to process things came once the two of you finally went to bed that night. For starters, the comfortable silence you fell into reminded you that you’d spent the evening actually talking to Law. Not just the one-sided conversations you were used to having, but a normal back and forth shared between two people. Perhaps even more surprising, nothing about it had felt particularly strange or unusual.

Law wasn’t exactly the warmest person, but compared to a snow leopard that only grunts or nods in response, conversing with him was a breeze. You’d expected it to feel like meeting someone for the first time, but somehow he was familiar enough that it felt more like catching up with someone you hadn’t seen in a while. Maybe it was the feline ears and tail that remained in his predominantly human form, reminding you that he was still the one you’d spent all that time with. Whatever the reason may be, talking to Law came easily to you, and you enjoyed his company even more so now that he could speak.

Looking at him didn’t feel all that different, either, despite the fact that he’d taken an entirely new form. Although he no longer looked like a wild beast, he somehow still had that same intimidating aura around him as a human, which was what you’d become accustomed to.

The only time that it felt a little weird was right now, when Law was settling down on his side of the bed like usual. You’d been sharing the bed for a little while now, and you hadn’t thought much of it back when he was a snow leopard, but now it strangely felt a lot more intimate. You knew logically that you’d been sharing a bed with a person this whole time, but it was somehow more embarrassing when he looked like this. Not to the point that you wanted him to sleep elsewhere, but just to the point that it left you feeling a little flustered. He was admittedly pretty handsome in this form, and you weren’t exactly used to having an attractive man in your bed.

You laid on your back for a long while, just staring at the ceiling and processing everything you’d found out. It was a shocking turn of events, but you ultimately concluded that it didn’t really have to change things. He was still the same Law as he always had been, you just knew more about him now. There was no need to act different around him, you’d already regarded him as a friend before anyways, so all you had to do was keep doing just that.

You sighed, shifting onto your side and blinking tiredly at the wall, taking stock of all the decorations in your room. You thought you’d never fall asleep, up until a familiar spotted tail coiled around your leg, and you were finally able to drift off. Some things were different now, but mostly it was the same in all the ways that mattered.

-

Having a roommate was deeply refreshing in a lot of ways, especially one as fascinating as Law. He didn’t seem to think that his feline characteristics were all that special, but you certainly did, and you took great interest in them. Over the next few weeks of observing him, you actually discovered a lot of little habits of his that were endearingly catlike, much to your delight.

For one, now that he could use his hands, he often brought you little offerings— mostly snacks, but sometimes he brought you books or games when he noticed you were bored, or a blanket when you showed signs of being chilly. He also tended to bring you personal things that you’d accidentally left laying around, sliding you your phone on more than one occasional when you’d left it in another room. It reminded you a lot of a cat bringing their human a dead bird or mouse, but you were eternally grateful that he found more practical things to give you.

On mornings when you woke up around the same time, you were treated to the sight of Law kneading at the pillow with his claws while he stretched. Similarly, you sometimes caught him rolling around on your sheets or rubbing up against the couch cushions, leaving you to wonder if he was leaving his scent on your things the same way a house cat would. You weren’t entirely sure if he had scent glands in human form, and your sense of smell certainly wasn’t strong enough to pick up on anything, but it was an interesting thought.

Another feline feature you’d taken notice of were Law’s eyes, which were strikingly similar to those of his snow leopard form. They were the same bold yellow, and they dilated much the same as any cat’s eyes would. They were a little intimidating when his pupils were narrowed to slits, but after how frightening your first encounter with him was, nothing else could really phase you anymore. Although he would look away the moment you noticed, you also caught him just staring at you a lot, focused intently on your movements. Your working theory was that he stared at you when he wanted attention, but you knew he’d never admit to it if you asked about it. He even did the affectionate slow blinking thing you’d seen cats do, which you took as a compliment coming from someone who wasn’t known for being particularly affectionate.

Law’s tail and ears also continued to be a more reliable indicator of his mood than anything else, and their movements often tended to give away some of the feelings he hid behind his stoicism. His face tended to be perpetually grumpy, but the contented slow sway of his tail told you that he wasn’t actually in a bad mood at all. Sometimes when you were teasing him, he pretended not to hear you, but the way his snow leopard ears swiveled in your direction always made it obvious that he never stopped listening to you.

Law’s acts of affection also kept following the trend of cat behavior, continuing on from where you’d left off when he was in beast form. As with before, you always had to wait for him to initiate anything, allowing him to come to you when he was ready to be touched. His desire for touch became more frequent the more he got used to you, though, it was sort of like seeing a stray adjusting to domestic life.

He liked to lean against you when you sat on the couch, resting his head in various places on your body. You came to learn the silent implications of each position, since your companion wasn’t the most fond of using his words for these things. Laying his head on your shoulder meant that he just wanted to accompany you in whatever you were doing, on your lap meant that he wanted his hair to be pet, and on your stomach meant he was tired and wanted to nap on you. He made figuring all of this out pretty difficult, but things went pretty smoothly once you made sense of his nonverbal communication.

On rare occasions, he would still butt his head lightly against you or even nuzzle you. He did this when he was feeling particularly pleased with your company, for whatever reason. A more common occurrence was the way he sometimes said ‘goodnight’ to you before bed, by rubbing his cheek against the top of your head. It was different from the way humans usually gave each other affection, but you were quite fond of the way he expressed himself.

Law’s tail in particular seemed to have a mind of its own, and it was almost always coiled around some part of you anytime he was next to you. It seemed to be a subconscious way to tether himself to your presence, and he always appeared to relax significantly once he had you in his tail’s grasp. He had a bit of a protective streak, so you reasoned that he felt better able to keep both of you safe when you were within his reach. It was actually kind of sweet, really.

-

Weeks turned into months, and the time truly seemed to pass quicker when you had someone to share it with. Things continued along the same trajectory for a while, with the two of you growing steadily closer as Law let you in more and more. You got to know each other bit by bit, and the dynamic shared between you became comforting and familiar. It was much of the same, up until a certain day when you decided to stay in bed for a while after being up late the night before. It was the first time you properly cuddled with Law in human form, and it brought about some unexpected feelings.

-

Law shifted his body closer to you, pulling you in until you were laying chest to chest and he was holding you against him. You felt his tail curl around your leg affectionately, and his soft feline ears brushed against your neck as he rested his head on your shoulder. This was the closest he’d ever allowed himself to get to you, and you realized there was no one else you’d rather be near. You felt hesitant to make a move to return the affection, not wanting to overwhelm Law and risk scaring him off by doing too much too soon. He really did remind you of a domestic cat in certain ways, but you’d never dare to point that out to him.

As you were internally debating with yourself, you felt Law shift around a bit before suddenly freezing up, and you leaned back to glance down at him with confusion. You were startled when he suddenly tugged at the back neckline of your shirt, exposing more of your skin to his eyes, but you quickly realized what had caught his attention. His gaze was locked onto the now healed scars that trailed from your shoulder to your mid back, fixating on them with growing tension. You hadn’t felt the need to bring up the rocky start between the two of you, content to leave all of that behind you, but it was evident that the snow leopard shapeshifter felt differently.

In an uncomfortable silence, Law traced the marks with his fingers cautiously, a slight tremble behind the touch of his hands. “These..these are from my claws? Shit, I had no idea I hurt you this badly…You were always so damn gentle with me, too gentle, and I left you with scars that will never go away.” He murmured quietly, clearly shaken by the physical reminder of how he’d lashed out at you in his feral form. Distraught by the revelation, he retreated from you like a frightened animal, condemning himself to the very edge of your bed.

Law looked down at his hands with dismay, the warmth had completely left his eyes again as he stared at his claws with clear contempt. They weren’t anything like the beastly claws of his full snow leopard form, they were pretty much just particularly long and sharp human nails, but he clearly still didn’t trust them not to hurt you. You frowned, disappointed at the loss of his warmth and saddened by the prospect of the distance between you growing again.

You made up your mind then, refusing to lose the one you’d grown so fond of over something you didn’t even blame him for. You reached for Law with no hesitation this time, wrapping your arms around him snugly and pulling him against you. He shifted around defiantly in your hold for a moment, but you both knew that he was more than capable of overpowering you if he truly didn’t want to be near you.

If you’d tried this a month ago, Law probably would’ve grumbled about it to hide his own embarrassment, but right now he was just unusually quiet. You usually had to wait for him to decide that he wanted to touch you, never taking too much initiative, but he gave no reaction this time. You would’ve been happy to see him accepting your embrace, but the way he just slumped against your chest halfheartedly made your stomach drop.

Law seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, his brows furrowed and the tip of his spotted tail twitching with unease. You’d never seen him act like this before, it was an unnerving contrast to the strong willed personality you’d become accustomed to. Not knowing what else to do with yourself, you leaned your head down and nuzzled your cheek against his dark hair, between his snow leopard ears.

“Law…Stop worrying about it, I’ve never held that against you. I knew how risky it was when I brought you inside, you didn’t know who I was and you were just trying to defend yourself. You were heavily injured and you had no idea what my intentions were, it wasn’t exactly unreasonable for you to claw me.” You took a steadying breath, pushing aside that memory. “But things are different now, alright? Our wounds are healed and we can trust each other, we both know you wouldn’t ever hurt me again. I care about you, and I don’t want you to leave because of something that happened when we were strangers.” You murmured softly.

You felt Law shake his head from where he was leaned against your chest, and you waited patiently for him to find his words. “You don’t understand…I wanted-“ His voice trailed off, thick with emotion, like he didn’t dare to voice his next thought.

“You wanted what..? I won’t understand unless you explain it to me.” You prompted gently, determined to get to the root of Law’s doubt. You heard him take a deep, shuddering breath, and he seemed to hesitate for a moment, questioning if he should dare to continue his sentence. You trailed your hand over his shoulder blades, rubbing soft circles between them in an effort to encourage him. Whatever it was, it was clearly important.

“I..I wanted us to be mates someday.” He finally admitted, so soft and strained that you almost missed it. Your eyes widened slightly, but you tried your best to stifle your shock, not wanting to give him the wrong impression. Perhaps you should’ve foreseen such an outcome, with how close the two of you had been growing, but Law was so damn difficult to read. You never wanted to assume that him seeking out your touch was a sign of anything more, but it might’ve been a more reliable indicator of his feelings than you thought.

You didn’t have to take pause to consider your own feelings, you had long since admitted to yourself that you were more than a little fond of Law these days. The terminology in your mind may vary from the snow leopard shifter’s, you were looking for a boyfriend rather than a mate, but it seemed you were ultimately on the same page. All that remained now was whatever perceived blockade was holding him back.

“Then what’s stopping you from making it happen? All you have to do is ask, you know?” You replied, curious but cautious not to pry for too much too fast. Conversations involving heavy emotions could be difficult with Law, it was all too easy for him to stonewall you if you pushed too far, so you had to tread carefully. You might be inclined to attribute it to the animalistic part of him, but you had a feeling that it had more to do with his personal experiences, it seemed like a defense mechanism above anything else.

Law shifted in your arms, pressing his face up against your neck and nuzzling you with his nose. It was evident that he was conflicted, torn between relief that you hadn’t rejected him and fear of whatever was eating away at him. It pained you to see him struggle with such turmoil that was all in his head, barring him from finding peace with you.

“A snow leopard is supposed to protect his mate at any cost, but instead I’m the one you needed protection from. How can I be right for you when all I’ve done is leave you with scars?” He tried to explain his reasoning to you, and you really did want to be understanding, but you just couldn’t follow that logic. He was punishing himself on your behalf, and that didn’t sit right with you. It was your blood that he once spilled, so it should be your call how to feel about it.

“That’s not all you’ve done!” You insisted, trying to keep the frustration out of your voice. “Don’t you dare reduce the time I’ve spent with you to one bad moment…You don’t know how much happier I am having you around, and you don’t get to deny that. Please don’t deny that, Law, I’m serious.”

There was a long moment of silence, in which he seemed to be grappling for a response, but he eventually found one. “Do you really mean that..? That I make you happy?” His tone was hesitant and uncertain, but almost reluctantly hopeful.

“Yeah, I really do…and I don’t know much about snow leopard courting or whatever, but I’d very much like to be your mate.” You affirmed, causing Law to huff in slight amusement when you admitted your lack of knowledge.

“You’re agreeing to something, but you don’t even know what it entails?” He asked bluntly, though you could tell that there was some dry humor behind his words. A little snark was good, actually, it meant that his guilt was taking a backseat to more pleasant feelings.

“Exactly!” You easily agreed with a soft laugh, before replying more seriously. “But really, I completely adore you, and I want us to be together too.” You told him earnestly, no longer feeling any need to hold your feelings back. Law buried his face in the crook of your neck, but you could feel the heat that emanated from his cheeks. Evidently, he wasn’t very used to this sort of thing. Most importantly, though, he let out a pleased purr.

“Good, because I don’t intend to let you go now that I have you.”

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Welcome to the shit show :)